The Best Galentine’s Day Dates to Celebrate Your Girls

Meeting your significant other for a romantic dinner date might be on your calendar this Valentine's Day. But what do you have planned for February 13, aka Galentine's Day? This unofficial holiday for honoring female friendships has gone mainstream, and no wonder. Celebrating your girls is always important, and it can benefit your physical and emotional health as well.

"Strong friendships can increase happiness and have a healthy effect on our bodies," says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, a psychologist and author of Better Than Perfect: 7 Steps to Crush your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love. "They give meaning and purpose to our lives." Here's a list of fun Galentine's Day date ideas that will fit everyone's schedule.

Sweat at a fitness class

Meeting up at the gym helps you work in a sweat session while benefiting from the support and encouragement of your friends. Go for something bold and fun, like a dance class, or a new workout you've been dying to try where it's okay to talk during the activity, like tackling a rock wall.

Do a good deed

Whether you're lending a hand at a soup kitchen or walking shelter pups, a few hours of volunteering together can help strengthen your friendships and show another side to your besties that you may not see when you go out for drinks. Lombardo personally loves catching up with her friends while doing good in her community—it's a win-win for everyone.

Catch up on a long walk

Sure you could do a group Skype. But being physically together in the fresh air and hashing out what's going on in your lives is a better way to check in. "When women hang out with other women, there's a sense of 'she gets me,'" says Lombardo. Taking that time to confide and ask for advice in person rather than through your devices reinforces the idea that you're really there for each other.

Schedule a spa session

Whether it's massages or a trip to a nail salon, honoring your friendships while treating yourselves to some self care can build your bond. Plus, who doesn't open up more and feel fuzzy and cared for during a relaxing session on a massage table or in a steam room?

Host a bake-off or potluck

Put your friends' baking or cooking talents on full display by hosting everyone at your place. Have each friend bring their best homemade dish and spend the night eating and catching up—or reminiscing about your favorite times together and how far you've come since your friendships began.

Belt out tunes at karaoke

Nothing tightens a friendship like screaming your favorite empowerment tunes at the top of your lungs. Head to a local karaoke bar and choose your go-to female anthem to sing along with your friends. It's a brand new memory in the making.

Binge-watch rom-coms

Sure it's a little cheesy, but who else can recite lines from Clueless or He's Just Not That Into You along with you but your besties? Or stream your collective favorite Netflix show, order takeout, and binge-watch away.